Early touch fastener products were generally woven materials, with hooks formed by cut filament loops, and loops formed by uncut filaments of a mating woven component. More recently, arrays of very small male touch fastener elements have been formed by molding the fastener elements, or at least the stems of the elements, of resin forming an interconnecting sheet of material, while low cost, non-woven or knit loop components have displaced traditional woven loop fabrics in many applications.
Although known for their strength, longevity and sewability, woven fastener products can be thicker and more expensive than some molded and non-woven counterparts of lesser fastening strength and/or longevity.
Further improvements in touch fastener closures are desired, particularly improvements that provide closures that can meet the requirements of many non-disposable and high strength applications, but at lower cost and bulk.